Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the Islamic State group (IS), as stated by the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just to the north of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several approach shafts providing entry to the site... early reports are that the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - referred to as ISIS - enforced militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among a great many British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
